Needlestick Safety
Needlestick injuries ARE PREVENTABLE. Adoption of safer devices, clinical processes and encouraged injury reporting are all critical needs for Canada’s healthcare today.
Together. Reducing Needlestick Injuries
Needlestick Injuries in Canada: A Preventable Crisis
According to the School of Occupational and Public Health, Ryerson University, an estimated 70,000 needlestick and sharps injuries occur in Canada every year, with around 33,000 of those incidents happening in Ontario alone. These injuries remain the most common preventable cause of occupational exposure to blood and body fluids among healthcare workers — posing a significant risk for the transmission of hepatitis B (up to 30%), hepatitis C (2%) and HIV (0.3%).
Despite legislation like Ontario Regulation 474/07, which mandates the use of safety-engineered hollow-bore needles, injury rates have not declined as expected. Studies reveal that many injuries continue to occur in high-risk departments such as Operating Rooms, Emergency rooms, Labour and Delivery Units and Intensive Care Units, often due to unsafe practices, rushed procedures and improper sharps disposal.
At Daniels Health Canada, we understand that preventing needlestick injuries requires more than just safer containers. While the Sharpsmart system has been shown to reduce container-associated injuries by up to 86.6%, we recognize it’s just one part of a comprehensive strategy. True safety relies on:
- Proper sharps container placement
- Thorough staff training
- Correct use and activation of safety-engineered devices (SEDs)
- Clear reporting protocols
- Leadership commitment and cultural change
Healthcare worker Karen Daley, former president of the American Nurses Association, once said:
“This injury and the life-threatening consequences I am now suffering should not have happened. And worst of all, this injury would not have happened if a safer sharps container had been in place.”
Her experience is far from unique. That’s why Daniels Health is committed to partnering with Canadian healthcare facilities to implement safer systems, support regulatory compliance and champion awareness and education through a library of free resources, training materials and research-backed guidance.
Because every healthcare worker deserves to go home safe at the end of the day.
The Human Cost
There is no “convenient time” for a sharps injury to occur and especially within the OR, many practitioners report a certain stigmatism against reporting a stick
““My injury didn’t occur because I was careless or distracted or not paying attention to what I was doing. This injury and the life-threatening consequences I am now suffering should not have happened. And worst of all, this injury would not have happened if a safer sharps container had been in place in my work setting.”
– Karen Daley – former president of the American Nurses Association
How to Prevent Sharps Injuries
Ensure you are trained in the procedure and the device.
Always use a sharps safety device where available.
Before procedure, ensure a sharps container is close by, and the aperture is open and clear.
Immediately after use, activate the safety device and discard into a sharps container.
Do not remove or recap a needle. In the OR, never pass a sharp by hand, use a neutral zone.
If you drop a sharp, never leave it for someone else to pick-up.
Ensure a sharps container is closed before you move it.
Never overfill a sharps container. Never.
Research + Educational Resources
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Research Article : Use and Activation of SEDs
Many clinicians use Safety Engineered Devices – but are they always activated properly?
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Educational Poster : What is Sharps Waste
A guide on how to determine what is considered and what isn’t sharps waste.
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Blog : Safest Height for Wall Mounting Sharps Containers
Learn more about the NIOSH guidelines for the safe mounting height sharps containers
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Research Article : Exposure Injury Reduction Strategies
This peer-reviewed study interviews clinicians to identify what measures are successful in reducing exposure to body fluid. Preventing the risk of BBP exposure.
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Educational Poster : Preventing Sharps Injuries
This educational poster serves as a guide on how to prevent sharps injuries.
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Blog : Strategies to Reverse Needlestick Injury Trend
There is an increased need for improved safety standards and awareness of the risks associated with BBFE incidences.
The Sharp Container’s Role in Injury Reduction
The Daniels Sharpsmart container, the world’s leading sharps disposal safety system, is the result of five years of R&D, clinical research and the determination of our founder, Dan Daniels, to eliminate needlestick injuries.
There is no sharps container in Canada today that rivals the Sharpsmart’s safety features, its clinical peer reviewed studies that prove needlestick injury reduction across years of research, or its global before-and-after safety and sustainability results. For 20+ years, the Daniels Sharpsmart container has led the industry.
“By converting to a Daniels Sharpsmart Container, Container Related Needlestick Injuries were reduced by 86.6%”
– Peer-Reviewed Study published in the American Journal of Infection Control
Eliminate Container-Associated Sharps Injuries
One of the easiest preventative strategies for sharps exposures is selecting a sharps container with inbuilt safety features.
The Sharpsmart leads the industry in Safety.
The only sharps container in the world ISO 23907 certified and classified as a Safety-Engineered-Device, the Sharpsmart is designed with:
- Inbuilt tamperproof locking mechanisms
- Hands-free use, no cross-contamination
- Gravity-activated tray for finer needles
- Inbuilt overfill protection
- Hand-restrictive access
Daniels Sharpsmart Containers
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S32 | Sharpsmart Reusable Sharps Container
32 Litre reusable sharps container with an inbuilt counterweighted safety tray.
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S64A+ | Sharpsmart Access Plus Reusable Sharps Container
64 Litre reusable sharps container ideally suited to facilities that generate high volumes of sharps.
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S14 | Sharpsmart Reusable Sharps Container
14 Litre reusable sharps container with a counterweighted safety tray and ‘no-hands’ access; ideal for patient room use.
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S32A+ | Sharpsmart Access Plus Reusable Sharps Container
32 Litre reusable sharps container designed for use in operating rooms and secure non-public areas.
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P14 Rx | Pharmasmart Pharmaceutical Container
14 Litre container for pharmaceutical sharps and medications, tamper-proof design with inbuilt overfill protection.
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P32A+ Rx | Pharmasmart Access Plus Pharmaceutical Container
32L Pharmaceutical waste container for the containment of pharmaceuticals and sharps in secure areas.
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CT22 Cyto | Cytotoxic Waste Container
22 Litre cytotoxic container for sharps used in chemotherapy treatment; Inbuilt safety tray makes the container ideal for infusion bays.
Explore A Change
Are you ready to embrace a new normal in sharps safety in your healthcare facility? Find out more about our transformative solutions.
Downloadable Resources
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Terry Grimmond
Spoiler alert: Sharps injury rates are not declining at the rate that they should be. Learn more about industry trends through Microbiologist Terry Grimmond.
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Rita Ciconte
Registered safety professional and leader for the Exposure Prevention Team with Fraser Health system, Rita talks on her past experience in SI prevention and future strategies.
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Julie Bastien & Sylvie Bedard
With 30 years’ experience, Julie spoke with Slyvie Bedard in Montreal on prevention of exposure of workers to biological risks.
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Andrea Chaplin
Evaluation Specialist in the Department of Infection Prevention and Control, speaks on learning from past successes and challenges implementing Ontario’s regulation on needle safety.
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Henrietta Van Hulle
With over 25 years’ experience in healthcare occupational health & safety, Henrietta speaks on Ontario Needle Safety Regulation, WSIB data and survey statistics, and prevention of injuries.
Our Key Takeaways
01. SHARPS INJURIES ARE NOT DECREASING.
Sharps injuries are not decreasing as expected, don’t overlook the issue.
02. DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE CONSEQUENCES.
The injury and consequences of acquiring a bloodborne disease can be devastating, despite advancements in treatment.
03. LET’S ‘SQUEAK’ MORE
Proven prevention strategies are available but unrelenting implementation is required. A national database is needed to put sharps injuries back on the radar.
Let’s Talk!
Your time is valuable, and we don’t want to play hard to get. You can either phone us directly on the details listed on our contact page, or feel free to fill out this short form and one of our team members will get back to you as quickly as possible.